NBA
Boston Celtics vs Portland Trail Blazers Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Friday 21st March 2025 Start time: 3 pm local time (10 pm BST) Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon Last meeting: March 5, 2025, Boston Celtics 128-118 Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Boston Celtics on their home turf having played in Boston earlier in March.
Jayson Tatum//Getty Images
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Boston Celtics on their home turf having played in Boston earlier in March. The Portland Trail Blazers are in 12th place in the West and are in the picture to take the final play-in spot, whereas the defending NBA champions have practically cemented their playoff place and are looking at gathering momentum for the upcoming post-season.
SportsBoom’s preview is a must-read as we provide all the relevant details about both teams and their respective head-to-head performances. We discuss further about our predictions and offer our exclusive betting advice, before concluding with our prediction.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
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Portland Trail Blazers: 9/4 (3.25) – 30.8%
Boston Celtics: 2/5 (1.40) – 71.4%
Forecast odds – Betting available on 1Win closer to event
Head-to-Head Record
The Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers have faced off a total of 125 times throughout regular season history, competing in exciting encounters since 1970. The Boston Celtics have displayed incredible dominance in this tie, winning 76 times, while the Portland Trail Blazers have won only 49 times.
The Celtics are the stronger team recently, too, as the Boston-based team has won five games in a row over the Trail Blazers. Their last defeat arrived in 2022, but their last loss in Portland itself was seven years ago in 2018.
Last Five Matches
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2024/25 Season | March 5, 2025 | Boston Celtics 128-118 Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023/24 Season | April 7, 2024 | Boston Celtics 124-107 Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023/24 Season | March 11, 2024 | Boston Celtics 121-99 Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2022/23 Season | March 17, 2023 | Boston Celtics 126-112 Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2022/23 Season | March 8, 2023 | Boston Celtics 115-93 Portland Trail Blazers |
How is the season so far for both teams?
Boston Celtics
- Record: 47-19
- Home Form: 23-12
- Road Form: 24-7
The reigning NBA champions have won seven of their last ten games and remain the second seed in the East, aiming to cement a strong seeding ahead of the upcoming playoffs. Despite the small chance of claiming the first seed, the Celtics will focus more on ensuring all their roster members are fully fit for the post-season. The organization are looking to win back-to-back championships for the first time since the 1960s.
Jayson Tatum’s importance to the Celtics organization is incredibly critical for the team’s success. Tatum is the major player within their team as he is the statistical leader in points, assists and rebounds per game. Tatum is fourth in the NBA for shooting with 27.3 points thrown per game, in addition to his averages of 5.8 assists and 8.8 rebounds. The fact that he has just turned 27 shows that we haven’t seen his prime years yet.
Derrick White is the franchise’s leading appearance maker this season, starting and featuring in all but two games throughout the year. White is averaging an impressive 16.7 points per game, as the point guard is closely matched in rebounds and assists, averaging 4.3 and 4.4, respectively. White’s reliability makes him a key player in this stacked team of talent on all corners of the court.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Record: 28-39
- Home Form: 16-16
- Road Form: 12-23
The Portland Trail Blazers have lost five games in a row despite a promising run-in form at the start of the calendar year. The organization now sit in 12th place, multiple games behind the final play-in qualification spot. The Trail Blazers need to find form fast with games few and far between, and their home form indicates that they are much stronger in front of their home crowd than not.
Portland’s main man is shooting guard Anfernee Simons, who is the franchise’s best scorer. Simons is averaging 19.3 points, showing that no one inside the team has eclipsed the 20-point barrier. The 25-year-old is down on his previous averages from the last two seasons, where he averaged 22.6 and 22.1 points, respectively.
Despite facing setbacks this season and reduced game time due to injuries, the lead rebounder for the Trail Blazers is Deandre Ayton. The 26-year-old is averaging 10.2 rebounds and 14.4 points per game. He will be re-evaluated in the build-up to this game having spent a month on the sidelines after suffering a left calf strain. When he returns, and if he is fit for this specific matchup, he will be a big help to the organization.
Value Bets
Jayson Tatum - Over 30 Points: Jayson Tatum has a career average of 27.2 points per game across 13 games when facing off with the Trail Blazers. However, we predict him to post at least 30 points for this game because in seven of his last nine matches, he has thrown 30 or better. We predict him to be the roster’s lead shooter in this one.
Anfernee Simons - Over 20 Points: In their matchup earlier this month, Anfernee Simons produced a spell-binding performance, racking up 30 points. This performance was the best game of his career against the Celtics, with his second-best performance seeing him post 21 points in the game. Therefore, we predict him to find an extra gear in this one, averaging over 20 points once again.
Prediction: Boston Celtics to win
Given the five-game winning run over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics will head into this fixture as the heavy favourites. Therefore, SportsBoom concludes that the Celtics will prevail in Portland. The Celtics stand in good stead in the league when you compare their league position to their opponents, therefore, should complete the job.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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